Why You Need to Buy Travel Insurance

If you are retired or simply love to travel and want to see the world, you need to look into buying travel insurance coverage. You can buy policies for singles, families, or business protection whilst travelling. These policies can cover just one trip, or can even be extended to cover multiple trips. The insurance also covers golfers and people travelling to wedding ceremonies.

In fact, some insurance providers offer up to 365 days of coverage on single-trip policies and as much as £10 million in medical expenses, £5,000 in cancellation coverage, up to £2,500 in baggage coverage, and protection for a scheduled airline failure. Coverage extends worldwide, including the UK and Europe.

Financial Risks Whilst Travelling

With that being said, travel insurance is indeed an important coverage, as you face a number of risks whilst travelling. Although some of the risks are small, such as experiencing a rainy day on the beach, others may include something more serious like a trip cancellation or sickness. Also, planning a trip means that you will incur several pre-paid expenses, such as cruise fares, plane tickets, and the costs associated with picking a travel package. All these costs are at risk if you have to cancel your trip. Plus, you need to consider medical costs too.

A Case in Point

For instance, suppose someone in your family becomes ill and you have to cancel your trip. By cancelling the trip, you lose the entire investment you made in your holiday. For example, if you book a cruise holiday, getting sick within two weeks of a cruise departure generally costs 100%. Plus, many cruise lines offer no refunds for cancellations that are made less than 14 days before departure. You can lose as much as £5,000 to £10,000 in prepaid expenses if you are not careful.

Another Case in Point

Let’s say you plan a resort trip to Cancun. However, you are forced to cancel because a hurricane damages the resort. Pre-paid expenses for plane tickets, your accommodations, and a charter boat for fishing will all be lost forever if you don’t acquire travel protection. The investment in this type of trip could be, minimally, around £5,000. So, if you don’t have travel insurance coverage that reimburses these costs, how can you afford to make a re-booking?

Making a Decision for Insurance Protection

Your holiday could be cut short as well by a family emergency, causing you to lose the remaining arrangements. Therefore, when choosing an insurance plan, you need to identify the most essential coverage options. When you begin comparing plans, you need to review travel criteria in order to short-list your choices. Draw up a list of specific protection packages that you believe are important for your holiday. You may also factor in the minimum coverage on certain travel plans, such as medical expenses.

For instance, taking a family on a cruise in the fall may feature the following coverage criteria:

Hurricane coverage for cancellations.

Medical evacuation coverage.

Missed connection coverage.

The above examples enable travellers and their families to select a travel insurance policy that meets their specific trip needs. By taking this approach, you can filter out policies that do not meet your basic needs or preferences.

Where to Make Comparisons

You can look on sites to figure your insurance needs. For example, Now Travel Insurance provide insurance policies at a cheaper rate. Browse over the plans, and begin with two or three forms of protection to get started.

Types of Travel Protection

For instance, the following policy features are all important forms of trip protection:

Emergency medical and medical evacuation.

Pre-existing medical conditions.

Hazardous or extreme sports.

Hurricanes or weather.

Missed connections.

Car rental cover.

Trip interruption.

Medical and non-medical evacuation.

Travel delay.

Baggage delay and/or lost luggage.

Accidental death.

Take a look at all the forms of protection and compare each plan side by side, based on the criteria. You really cannot go without travel insurance protection, as the amount you prepay in expenses can be offset or fully paid by this kind of policy.

Medical Emergency and Evacuation – A Good Choice for International Travellers

Most people who travel overseas buy travel insurance to cover medical emergencies. If you are travelling in an environment that is unfamiliar, you are often much more vulnerable to accidents. Every travel insurance company provides for emergency services – services that are available 24/7. This type of service is helpful if you are travelling in a remote location, for example, as medical assistance and evacuations are hard to obtain in these kinds of distant locales.

The risk of theft also increases whilst travelling. Tourists are easy targets for criminals, as they normally carry large amounts of cash. If a traveller’s passport, cash, or credit cards are stolen, the situation needs to be addressed immediately. Without the proper travel documents, travellers may become stranded, or may not be able to cross over into another country. If this happens, you need to call your travel insurer without delay.

Upgrading Your Protection

You may also want to buy an upgrade in your insurance plan if you are travelling to a country with a high crime rate. This upgrade can cover any loss of cash or belongings during your journey. To ensure you get the most benefit from emergency services, make sure you buy your travel policy from a leading travel insurance company.

This type of insurer has the required experience and worldwide connections to assist a customer that happens to be travelling abroad. Larger companies tend to offer a broader range of emergency services in comparison to the smaller insurers in the travel insurance field.

How to Stay Safe Whilst Travelling

In order to further protect yourself on your travels, travel experts recommend that you do the following:

Travel light and keep any important items, such as eyeglasses or medicine, right in your carry-on. If the medicine is not a typical over-the-counter medication, carry of letter from your physician to show you need the drug.

You should carry your passport, airline tickets, driver’s licence, and credit cards with you at all times. Place your contact information on the inside and outside of each piece of luggage. You should also keep your travel insurance documentation on your person whilst travelling.

Items You Don’t Want to Bring on Holiday

Don’t carry any of the following items with you on a trip, for obvious reasons:

Irreplaceable objects or documents.

Expensive jewellery.

Unnecessary credit or bank cards.

In Case of Emergency

A copy of your travel schedule should be left with a friend or family member, as it’s important to leave your loved ones with pertinent information, especially in the case of an emergency. Also, leave a copy of your passport ID page, driver’s licence, airline tickets, and credit cards in case they are stolen during your journey.